Darren Kenton offered no excuses after City slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of QPR on Saturday afternoon.

It was only their second loss in nine Championship matches but they are now just seven points above the drop zone with eight games remaining this term.

"It was a very disappointing result especially after the way we started the game," said the defender, who came in at centre-half for the injured Gareth McAuley.

"We started quite brightly and had the better chances in the first half but two goals in four minutes at the start of the second half really took it out of us and we faced an uphill challenge after that.

"I thought myself and Paddy Kisnorbo handled their two big strikers quite well but one long ball in to the box which we didn't defend properly and a soft penalty turned the game on its head.

"We tried to force our way back into the game after that but the ball just wouldn't fall for us and their third was just a great strike and summed up our day.

"But we can't make excuses, it just wasn't good enough."

The match marked Kenton's first start since New Year's Day but while pleased to be back in the starting line-up, the defeat left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"It has been a while since I started and it is frustrating when you are not playing but up until a couple of games ago we had been on a good run," he added.

"It was disappointing again to lose and not get the three points. The last game I started was against Sunderland and we lost that as well!"

City now have an extended break due to internationals and are not back in action until March 31 when they travel to Midlands rivals Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

"You always want to go into a break with three points in the bag but we can't afford to dwell, this game has now gone and we must prepare ourselves for the next one," Kenton said.

"We must remain focused and upbeat because there is still work to be done."